If you could suggest me some other types of training programs, and which one is the best for me. Do I need to work biceps and triceps twice a week for more gains and do I need to use supersets because so far I haven’t done them.

I would highly recommend doing starting strength or a similar 3 day/week full body program for a few months until you can no longer add weight to the bar. I think regardless of your ultimate goal (mass, aesthetics, performance, strength) you will benefit from a solid foundation of strength.

I would highly recommend doing starting strength or a similar 3 day/week full body program for a few months until you can no longer add weight to the bar. I think regardless of your ultimate goal (mass, aesthetics, performance, strength) you will benefit from a solid foundation of strength.

You know, REAL coaches/bodybuilding trainers, people with track records training national athletes representing their countries I’ve met over the years will say otherwise(not that there’s anything wrong with full body programs).

I have said this before but I’ve just found this video from Mark Bell on his excellent channel and he articulates it perfectly so just listen to what he has to say.

Are you implying that Rippetoe and Wendler aren’t REAL coaches? I don’t see where Bell disagrees with Starting Strength specifically, and even recommends learning the power lifts. Having wasted a lot of time in the gym myself, I wish someone had got me on Starting Strength 35 years ago.

I don’t take Rippetoe seriously. His idea of reaching a certain level of relative strength(the “base of strength” nonsense) through limit strength training before “training for hypertrophy” is absurd. If you are underweight or possesses a distinct lack of muscle, you will be told to focus on building muscle first if you step into an Olympic lifting facility in my part of the world.

Wendler is but ONE out of many qualified coaches in the WORLD who have differing opinions. I have no problem with 5x5 but the often regurgitated dogma surrounding it has to die. All programs work. I like Greyskull a lot. But you don’t tell someone to jump to 5x5 just because he’s a beginner without knowing his results from what he’s currently doing. It is definitely not superior to other training programs.

Understood - but to imply they aren’t REAL coaches is off point, IMO. And, Bell didn’t disagree with the tenets of Rippetoe. Arguably, most, if not all, programs derive from historical precedents - Starr for one. While I have limited knowledge of Greyskull (and many others), it sort of seems like SS and 5/3/1 had a baby and named it Greyskull.

Point being, for me anyway, you shouldn’t send a newbie into a hardcore periodized program without a base of strength. Whether that base comes from Bell’s recommendations, or Rippetoe’s doesn’t really matter. You could certainly get started with bodyweight only, but you do need to have a base.

Again, I’m just figuring this out and certainly don’t consider myself an expert - just trying to keep learning.

I just want to clarify that I am also talking about articles I’ve read on the web by wannabe coaches. I have all the respect in the world for Wendler and perhaps he got caught in the crossfire because of his views on 5x5. I would consider him a real coach since his program has been used by many elite powerlifters around the world. But then, as I said, there are many others just as, or more qualified in their respective fields who would disagree.

The_Myth:

Point being, for me anyway, you shouldn’t send a newbie into a hardcore periodized program without a base of strength. Whether that base comes from Bell’s recommendations, or Rippetoe’s doesn’t really matter. You could certainly get started with bodyweight only, but you do need to have a base.

I’m not turning this into an either/or situation. Nor am I saying beginners should be doing some kind of hardcore periodisation program. I am simply saying there’s a counter argument for this and many have found success doing 3x10 bodybuilding splits before specializing in certain lifts. If one is skinny and lacks muscle, he should focus on building a “base of muscle” first. This is not to say he should be doing all high reps and pump nonsense that somehow everybody thinks is the only key to hypertrophy nowadays(also the fault of internet wannabe coaches). One should also make adding weight to the bar a priority as well. You don’t have to do 5x5 to do this.

I also do not see the need to specialize in a few main lifts within a limited rep range at the start when someone untrained needs to develop body awareness and learn how to effectively contract different muscles through a variety of exercises.

The_Myth:

it sort of seems like SS and 5/3/1 had a baby and named it Greyskull.

Lol. Sounds like it. I like the idea of doing submaximal weights before doing a max rep set with the same weight.

If you’re just looking for names of famous students, hey, it’s powerlifting, not MLB. How famous can a guy get?

However, he has obviously coached thousands of students over the years and developed a respected (by many, if not you) certification program, and was one of the first to become a Certified Strength and Conditioning Coach by NASC.

I understand, and respect, that you may not value these credentials. However, when I was a golf pro I taught many amateurs (including Zach Johnson’s wife), none of whom went on to become famous. However, their games did improve and they gained greater enjoyment. Just because they didn’t become famous doesn’t mean I wasn’t a real coach.

If you’re just looking for names of famous students, hey, it’s powerlifting, not MLB. How famous can a guy get?

That’s the thing though; I’m way more plugged in to powerlifting than MLB. I couldn’t name you an MLB player more modern than Ken Griffy Jr. That said, I’ve been scouring powerlifting meets for ANYONE trained by Mark Rippetoe and so far I’ve come up with nothing. I thought you might know of someone.

It doesn’t need to be anyone famous. Powerlifting is so small that you can find the names of just about anyone who competes.

I know how polarizing some guys can be, better at promotion than actually doing their job, and I can see why many find him offensive. I’m a rank beginner at power lifting and haven’t had enough exposure to respond similarly.

Please don’t mistake my absence of tone as the presence of sarcasm; I try to be as straight forward as possible. I have no reason to find Mark Rippetoe offensive; we’re talking about lifting weights, not equal rights. My asking “who has he coached” is not an attack, it is an actual question, as there are a lot of people promoting his methods and I just can’t find any results that speak to it (in either a negative or a positive capacity).

Don’t sweat it. For some reason, most folks on this site think the majority of my questions are rhetorical. Most likely all the philosophy spilling over into my writing. Can be frustrating when I just want to have a conversation, haha. But on the internet, it seems like every question is loaded.